Southeast Asia has the potential to become a global leader in the development and promotion of sustainable finance across a wide range of key sectors, including energy, agribusiness, healthcare and education. However, now is the time to push forward and build on existing achievements. What must governments, regulators and the private sector do to create effective responsible finance ecosystems and build toward the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals such as the alleviation of disease and reduction of global population displacement? What role can the regional Islamic finance industry play?

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What would make infrastructure deals more attractive? Where are the biggest opportunities within the infrastructure space? Renewables — how are they reshaping the energy mix and where are the opportunities?? Bank financing — what does the future hold for project and infrastructure finance for the private and public sector? Q & A Moderator: Yavar Moini, Financial Sector Expert, World Bank Group Panelists: Ahmed Ali Siddiqui, Group Head – Shariah Compliance, Meezan Bank Abdullah Ghaffar, Group Head – Corporate and Investment Banking, Al Baraka Bank (Pakistan) Haris Munawar, Head of Investment Banking, BankIslami Pakistan Tayyaba Rasheed, EVP – Head of Investment Banking Group, Faysal Bank

We examine responsible investment in Asia and ask how ethical and Islamic finance can potentially become closer interlinked. We also discuss how Southeast Asia can grow its existing environmental, social and governance (ESG) niche among asset managers and owners and what role Islamic and ESG asset management can play toward achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals. How can the industry overcome the relative scarcity of credible climate-related and low-carbon investment opportunities and what role do institutional investors play in the shift toward sustainable investments? Lastly, how can ESG risk, reward and impact be effectively measured and evaluated, and what benchmarks and tools are available? Moderator: Margie Ong, CEO, Thoughts in Gear Panelists: Alex Rowe, Portfolio Manager, Nomura Global Sustainable Equity, Nomura Asset…

Global Islamic finance thought leaders share their vision on what the Islamic finance landscape will look like in 2016 and what trends are expected in global Sukuk transactions. Which markets are likely to lead and which sectors will flourish? What can investors expect from the Islamic investment environment in the next five years? What structures, trends and assets will drive future Sukuk transactions in Africa and globally? Rise of sovereign Sukuk in non-Muslim jurisdictions: What impact will this have on corporate Sukuk pipelines in these markets? Moderator: Nida Raza – Director & Head of Advisory, Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector Panelists: Ahsan Ali – Managing Director & Head of Islamic Origination, Standard Chartered Bank Fabrice Toka…

Crowdfunding is big news in both the Islamic and conventional markets, with a groundswell of interest that has seen legislation introduced in the US, UK and several other jurisdictions as nations legitimize what is promoted as one of the few truly egalitarian and accessible forms of entrepreneurial start-up funding. The story has already swung into gear on the conventional side with a plethora of successful case studies – and with principles that perfectly match the platform of Shariah compliant SME support, is it a trend tilting on the edge of enormity for the Islamic world as well? Moderator: Lauren McAughtry – Managing Editor, Islamic Finance news Panelists: Ahmed Elkhodary – Development Strategist, Islamic Development Bank Anass Patel – President, 570 Asset…

As Islamic finance continues to proliferate in both the Muslim and non-Muslim worlds it is becoming clear that certain funds and asset classes appeal to specific investors in specific markets. What are high net worth and institutional investors in Europe seeking and are these trends likely to change in the coming years? As the market continues to expand, what products will appeal to European investors? Outlook for equity, PE funds, i-ETFs, fixed income funds and index-linked investments Potential for wealth management products and Shariah compliant pension funds in European markets What impact will global economic trends have on real estate investments in Europe? Which real estate markets are expected to outperform and why? To what extend do tax developments impact…

The drive by many Gulf countries to improve on infrastructure is set to create opportunities for market players to fund infrastructure and power projects through Shariah compliant project financing. This session will cover the trends, structures and opportunities available Infrastructure and project finance in Qatar and the rest of the GCC: What’s in the pipeline? Trends and outlook for syndicated financing of infrastructure projects and how will Basel 3 affect syndicated financing? Opportunities in cross border Sukuk through project and infrastructure financing How has utilizing Islamic infrastructure financing in public private partnership ventures grown? Assessing the potential of alternative assets and its suitability to Shariah compliant financing: Key considerations for issuers Moderator: Qasim Aslam – Partner & Head of Islamic…

Given current market conditions, what does the future hold for the Islamic debt and equity capital markets and retail finance? What can we expect in terms of new asset classes, sector specific development and trends? Are there opportunities for cross-border transactions and what role will US market makers play? How will US and global regulations on Shariah compliance impact the performance of PE funds and investment in private equity? Moderator: Rizwan Kanji — Partner, King & Spalding, the UAE Panelists: Ahmed Al Qassim – CEO, Emirates NBD Capital, the UAE Bashar Qasem — Founder and CEO, Azzad Asset Management Ibrahim Mardam-Bey — Principal and Chief Commercial Officer, Taylor De Jongh Michael Orzano — Director, Global Equity Indices, S&P Dow Jones Indices…

As Kuwait continues its rapid infrastructure development an abundance of opportunities exist for market players to fund housing, road, water and power projects through Shariah compliant project financing. This session will cover the trends, structures and opportunities available Alex Saleh - Partner and Head of Kuwait Office, Al Tamimi & Company [embeddoc url="http://ifn-tv.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Alex-Saleh-IFN-Presentation.pdf"]

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What would make infrastructure deals more attractive? Where are the biggest opportunities within the infrastructure space? Renewables — how are they reshaping the energy mix and where are the opportunities?? Bank financing — what does the future hold for project and infrastructure finance for the private and public sector? Q & A Moderator: Yavar Moini, Financial Sector Expert, World Bank Group Panelists: Ahmed Ali Siddiqui, Group Head – Shariah Compliance, Meezan Bank Abdullah Ghaffar, Group Head – Corporate and Investment Banking, Al Baraka Bank (Pakistan) Haris Munawar, Head of Investment Banking, BankIslami Pakistan Tayyaba Rasheed, EVP – Head of Investment Banking Group, Faysal Bank

Investment experts and advisors offer their perspectives on potential growth sectors in the Islamic investment universe. Which classes and sectors will deliver and what is hindering the development of others? How will Asia compete with the UK and the GCC in the Shariah compliant real estate space? Closing the gap between high demand and low supply of Islamic wealth management products Can the development of Waqf serve as a catalyst for driving growth in Islamic wealth management? Is the Islamic investment industry going into regulatory overdrive or is more regulation actually necessary? Improving the distribution of Islamic funds by using passporting options Which elements are crucial when choosing the right fund domicile or investment vehicle? Panelists: Bishr Shiblaq - Head,…

Global Islamic investment leaders are asked to share their views on what Asian investors can expect from the Islamic investment environment in the next five years. Which investment vehicles are expected to thrive and which would have run their course? Are forays into emerging markets worth the risk and how should these be assessed? How are fund managers adapting their strategy to prevailing political and economic conditions in Asia? Panelists: Maznah Mahbob - Chief Executive Officer, AmInvest, Malaysia Nicholas Kaiser - Chairman and Chief Investment Officer, Saturna Capital, USA Nor Rejina Rahim — Country Head — Malaysia, Nomura Asset Management Sandeep Singh - Country Head - Malaysia & Chief Executive Officer, Franklin Templeton GSC Asset Management

The call to innovate has been consistently echoed by industry players with the lack of market depth and breadth and its reliance on replicating conventional products often blamed for the innovation deficiency. Is it time for the Islamic finance industry to transform its business model? Is there truly customer demand for innovative Islamic finance products? Addressing the over-reliance on Sukuk: What else is out there? Connecting Shariah compliance with real innovation Will Basel III requirements drive innovative structuring? Building the infrastructure to support large scale, cross border and multi-jurisdictional deals New and innovative offerings and asset classes in the pipeline Panelists: Alhami Mohd Abdan - Head, International Finance & Capital Market, OCBC Al-Amin Bank, Malaysia Issam Al Tawari - Chairman…

Central to the success of Asia’s Sukuk markets are the tireless efforts made by Asian regulators in building enabling regulatory frameworks and promoting governance. As the Islamic finance marketplace evolves so must the standards that govern the industry. What strides have regulators of aspiring Islamic investment destinations made in promoting Islamic finance transactions? What synergies exist between the various Asian Islamic economies and what can be done to strengthen ties? Anticipated impact of regulatory changes in the coming year in the Asian Islamic finance landscape Assessing the introduction of Shariah standards frameworks in Malaysia and the likely impact on capital markets issues Is the setting up of a global Shariah board a viable solution to solving Shariah issues? Is it…